Tomas Maier steps down from Bottega Veneta

Tomas Maier is leaving Bottega Veneta after seventeen years.

The longtime creative director's departure is effective immediately. Kering- the parent company of Bottega Veneta did not reveal the reasons for his departure but said that a successor would be named imminently.

Maier joined Bottega Veneta in 2001, following Tom Ford's departure and Kering's acquisition of the luxury Italian label. Under his guidance, Bottega Veneta grew at a furious pace and sales went through the roof. In 2012, its revenues exceeded $1 billion for the first time. However, in recent years sales figures fell and Bottega Veneta remained behind other brands in Kering's luxury portfolio.

'It's largely due to Tomas's high-level creative demands that Bottega Veneta became the house it is today,' chief executive and chairman of Kering Francois-Henri Pinault said in a statement to the NY Times. 'He put it back on the luxury scene and made it an undisputed reference. With his creative vision, he magnificently showcased the expertise of the house's artisans. I am deeply grateful to him and I personally thank him for the work he accomplished, and for the exceptional success he helped to achieve.'

Maier is also creative director of his namesake brand which he established in 1997. Known initially for its beachwear collection, the brand grew through a partnership with Kering to encompass a full range of lifestyle products for men and women. It is not known how Maier's departure from Bottega Veneta would affect this partnership.

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